Dynamic generation of video-on-demand assets for multichannel video programming distributors

ABSTRACT

A live content distribution device that dynamically generates video-on-demand (VOD) assets for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), receives a live video feed, a plurality of triggers, and metadata from a broadcast provider system over a communication network. The live content distribution device is provided in a MVPD system. A plurality of segments are determined in the received live video feed based on the received plurality of triggers and metadata. One or more VOD content assets are dynamically generated based on a package for playout to one or more servers communicatively coupled with the MVPD system. The package includes one or more of the determined plurality of segments and metadata associated with the determined plurality of segments.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to:

U.S. application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. TBS-1041), whichis file concurrently herewith.

The above referenced application is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to a television broadcastsystem. More specifically, certain embodiments of the disclosure relateto a method and system for dynamic generation of video-on-demand assetsfor multichannel video programming distributors.

BACKGROUND

The past decade has witnessed a massive expansion of live web simulcastservices in the field of advertisement-based broadcasting and cablenetworking systems. One of various examples of such live web simulcastservices is providing video-on-demand (VOD) content by a contentprovider system to a multichannel video program distributor (MVPD) whendemanded by a viewer via a traditional cable set-top box with limitedbandwidth and resources. For such content delivery, the content providersystem encodes the VOD content at a specific bitrate, such as mezzaninebitrate, and decides a specific format, such as “C3” VOD, according to aprogramming schedule.

In certain scenarios, the content provider system may be required tore-encode the VOD content at appropriate high definition (HD) orstandard definition (SD) formats. Further, files, for example, assetdistribution interface (ADI) metadata that accompanies the VOD content,may be required to be reprocessed by a third party to redistribute theVOD content as a high priority pitch to the MVPDs. Such re-encoding andpitching process may increase the overall cost and time to get the VODcontent live on the MVPDs' VOD systems. This time period corresponds toa duration when a large portion of the C3 viewing (refers to delayedviewing of live content by a certain duration, such as 75 Hours forexample) takes place and thus, results in costing the content providerrating points and therefore a loss in revenue generated fromadvertisements. Thus, there is a need for a dynamic VOD content assetsgenerating system that can reduce the cost and speed up the delivery ofthe VOD content from the content provider to the MVPDs associated withtraditional VOD distribution systems while maintaining appropriatecontent rights.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosureas set forth in the remainder of the present application with referenceto the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems and/or methods are provided for dynamic generation ofvideo-on-demand assets for multichannel video programming distributors,substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at leastone of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentdisclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof,will be more fully understood from the following description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system fordynamic generation of video-on-demand (VOD) assets for multichannelvideo programming distributors (MVPDs), in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary broadcastprovider system for broadcasting encoded video feed of a channel to aplurality of MVPDs and generating a new channel comprising one or moreVOD content assets, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary live contentdistribution device in an exemplary MVPD system for dynamicallygenerating one or more VOD content assets for playout, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1D is a circuit diagram illustrating an integrated system, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart illustrating high-level operation of anexemplary an exemplary live content distribution device of FIG. 1C, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations forgenerating a new channel comprising one or more VOD content assets, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an exemplary live content distribution device in anexemplary MVPD system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a method andsystem for dynamic generation of VOD assets for MVPDs. Variousembodiments of the disclosure provide a method and system that generatesa new channel comprising one or more VOD content assets, based on one ormore scheduling rules of the playout schedule. In accordance withvarious embodiments of the disclosure, a live content distributiondevice provided in a MVPD system, receives a live video feed, aplurality of triggers, and metadata from a broadcast provider systemover a communication network. The live content distribution device maybe provided in a MVPD headend of the MVPD system. A plurality ofsegments in the received live video feed is determined based on thereceived plurality of triggers and metadata. The live video feed may bea broadcast feed received from the broadcast provider system. Thereceived live video feed may be encoded at the broadcast provider systemassociated with a content provider, and may include graphical content,closed captions, and specified watermarks.

One or more VOD content assets are dynamically generated based on apackage for playout to one or more servers communicatively coupled withthe MVPD system. The package includes one or more of the determinedplurality of segments and metadata associated with the determined one ormore of the plurality of segments. The one or more servers may becommunicatively coupled with the MVPD system and may correspond to oneor more legacy VOD servers.

The received metadata may be generated by the broadcast provider systembased on first information received from a traffic and scheduler system,and second information received from an automation system. The firstinformation received from the traffic and scheduler system is associatedwith a playout schedule or a specific playout schedule. The secondinformation received from the automation system is associated with anupdated playout schedule or an updated specific playout schedule. Themetadata may include at least digital rights associated with the livevideo feed, timing information associated with one or more commercialbreaks, a playout schedule to play the one or more advertisements withinone or more segments of programming data of the live video feed, andsignaling content of the live video feed. The metadata may be determinedand updated in real-time by the broadcast provider system associatedwith a content provider based on information related to at least aplayout schedule of programming data and advertisement and promotionalcontent, an updated playout schedule of the programming data andadvertisement and promotional content, and titles associated with theprogramming data. In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata may bereceived in-band with the live video feed and the plurality of triggers.In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata may be receivedout-of-band separate from the live video feed and the plurality oftriggers. In accordance with an embodiment, the plurality of segmentsmay be transcoded and embedded with one or more audio markers.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system fordynamic generation of VOD assets for MVPDs, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1A, the system100, comprises a broadcast provider system 102, a plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, a plurality of published data sources 106a, . . . , 106 n, a plurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n,and a plurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a, . . . ,110 n. The broadcast provider system 102 may include a traffic andscheduler system 112, a live metadata database (LMDB) 114, an automationsystem 116, a television playout system 118, a trigger inserter 120, anda broadcasting apparatus 122. Each of the plurality of MVPD systems 104a, . . . , 104 n may include a live content distribution device of theplurality of live content distribution devices 124 a, . . . , 124 n.Each live content distribution device of the plurality of live contentdistribution devices 124 a, . . . , 124 n, such as the live contentdistribution devices 124 a, may include a receiver 126, a segmentationsystem 128, and a packager 130. There is further shown a network 132through which the broadcast provider system 102, the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, the plurality of published data sources106 a, . . . , 106 n, the plurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . ,108 n, and the plurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a, .. . , 110 n are communicatively coupled with each other.

The broadcast provider system 102 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code thatcommunicate a linear video feed (also referred to as a networktelevision feed or broadcast feed) and corresponding playout schedule tothe plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n. In a broadcastchain, the broadcast provider system 102 may receive actual content, forexample, from a production studio, in a serial digital interface (SDI)video interface and/or on a high-definition SDI (HD-SDI) videointerface, process the content, such as insertion of graphics, closedcaptions, preparation of programming schedule, insertion of triggers,and the like, and final delivery by the broadcasting apparatus 122. Thecommunicated linear video feed and the playout schedule may correspondto a channel, such as CNN channel that is broadcast to the plurality ofMVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, via a communication network, such asthe network 132. The linear video feed may be broadcasted as amulti-program transport stream (MPTS) (also referred to as a live videofeed) to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, via thenetwork 132. The broadcast provider system 102 may be owned by (orassociated to) a broadcast provider or operator, a network provider oroperator, or a content provider or operator.

Each of the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured toprovide video programming services to viewers, usually for asubscription fee (such as pay television). Each of the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may comprise a headend where the MVPDsystem assembles and prepares its multiple channels of video programmingfor distribution to the viewers. Each of the plurality of MVPD systems104 a, . . . , 104 n may receive the MPTS, which includes the signalingcontent and metadata, from the broadcast provider system 102 based oncurrent society of cable telecommunication engineers (SCTE) standards(SCTE-35 and SCTE-224) to control web and regional blackouts, networkend of day switching, and advertisement insertion. For example, theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may be signaled forvarious blackout types with in-band SCTE-35 message. Further, theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may receive programmetadata that specifies certain events or operations, such as, forexample, when to blackout shows, recording programs off the live videofeed for startover or Cx (x is an integer representing the number of daysince original airing) (VOD) packaging, with SCTE-224 message. Examplesof the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may includedirect-broadcast satellite (DBS) providers, cable television (CATV)systems, and other wireline video providers and competitive localexchange carriers (CLECs) using IPTV.

Each of the plurality of published data sources 106 a, . . . , 106 n maycomprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may beconfigured to execute code that provides actual viewership or rating forprograms that were aired. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the plurality ofpublished data sources 106 a, . . . , 106 n are coupled to the broadcastprovider system 102 via the network 132. An exemplary published datasource may be Nielsen. Nielsen has the capability to determine when aviewer watches the same set of media items, i.e. advertisements and/orpromotional content, in programming data, such as an episode, in a livevideo feed within 3 days of original airing, and provide Nielsen “C3”credit. In accordance with an embodiment, based on the Nielsen “C3”credit, the broadcast provider system 102 may be configured to generatea new channel, “D4 channel”, which may be broadcasted on day “4” of theoriginally aired live video feed. Another exemplary published datasource may be a published database that provides ratings for mediaitems, such as GRP. The GRP is an advertising impact measure or apromotion impact measure for each advertising and/or promotionalcampaigns, known in the art.

The consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n may refer to end-user deviceswhere the one or more VOD assets are rendered to be viewed by a viewer.The number of impressions of a media item, such as an advertisementand/or promotional content, on such plurality of consumer devices 108 a,. . . , 108 n determines the advertising impact or promotion impact andnumber of actual viewership achieved during campaigns. Examples of theconsumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n may include, but are not limitedto, connected TVs, connected TV with paired devices (e.g., tablets), andsecond screen devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Each of the plurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a, . .. , 110 n may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces thatmay be configured to place orders with the broadcast provider system 102that may include information about type of spots to be broadcast, thenumber of spots to be broadcast, and when the spots should be aired. Thebroadcast provider system 102 may be configured to electronicallyreceive, via a communication network, deals comprising advertisers'orders from the plurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a,. . . , 110 n. The traffic and scheduler system 112 may be configured toreceive an advertiser's order to place one or more spots into one ormore commercial breaks. The advertiser order generation systems 110 a, .. . , 110 n may provide multiple orders, which need not be submitted atthe same time. Therefore, the traffic and scheduler system 112 maycontinuously receive orders with new or additional spots to be placedand may need to update any previously determined commercial breakschedule to accommodate the constraints and requirements of those spotsalready placed and of the new spots being received. In this regard, theadvertiser order generation systems 110 a, . . . , 110 n mayelectronically book spots to a selling title, and within the sellingtitle there are constraints. The advertiser's order comprises airingconstraints and placement requirements corresponding to the one or morespots.

The traffic and scheduler system 112 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code thatreceives an advertiser's orders to place one or more spots into one ormore commercial breaks. The received orders are queued and placements ofa plurality of advertisements in the incoming linear video feed aredetermined. The plurality of advertisements are placed into one or morecommercial breaks (also referred to as advertisement space) appearing ina same selling title or different selling titles of the linear videofeed. A selling title is an interval of programming time that thebroadcast provider system 102 utilizes to sell commercial airtime. Insome cases, the term daypart may be utilized as an alternative name fora selling title, but in other cases a daypart may be an aggregation ofselling titles. In accordance with an embodiment, the traffic andscheduler system 112 may be configured to determine a playout schedulebased on the placement of the plurality of advertisements into thecommercial breaks in the incoming linear video feed. In accordance withan embodiment, the traffic and scheduler system 112 may receive theplayout schedule and/or a specific playout schedule from the sourcedevice 133. In accordance with an embodiment, the traffic and schedulersystem 112 may be implemented as distinct entities, for example as atraffic system and a scheduler, as described in FIG. 1B.

The LMDB 114 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces thatmay be configured to store metadata related to the programming data inthe linear video feed provided by one or more components of thebroadcast provider system 102, such as the traffic and scheduler system112 and the automation system 116. The LMDB 114 may be configured toreceive metadata from the traffic and scheduler system 112 and thetelevision playout system 118. The LMDB 114 may be configured todistribute such program metadata to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a,. . . , 104 n or external affiliates for individual networks viaSCTE-224 (originally DVS1179) message. The SCTE-224 specificationdefines encryption, timings and basic program information to distribute,and other information to look for in the broadcast live video feed toindicate program starts and stops. The LMDB 114 may be furtherconfigured to update the metadata in real-time based on informationrelated to at least a playout schedule of programming data,advertisement and promotional content, an updated playout schedule, andtitles associated with the programming data.

The automation system 116 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that coordinates thetelevision playout system 118 with the trigger inserter 120 based on theplayout schedule received from the traffic and scheduler system 112. Theautomation system 116 may coordinate the television playout system 118with the trigger inserter 120 for insertion of a plurality of triggersin an uncompressed SDI video of a channel before broadcast. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the automation system 116 may beconfigured to generate a new channel based on one or more schedulingrules of the specific playout schedule, to be transmitted to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n at a time specified inthe received specific playout schedule. In one embodiment, the time maybe specified by metadata. In another embodiment, the time may bespecified inband with the content.

The television playout system 118 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code thathandles a playout of a channel (such as a television channel). In thisregards, the television playout system 118 may adjust a plurality ofsplice points that demarcates different media items, such as atransition point from a TV program to an advertisement or a promotionalmedia, in a linear video feed (uncompressed SDI video) of the channel tomaintain the playout schedule. The television playout system 118 may beoperated by the broadcast provider system 102 for managing a singlechannel or a plurality of channels. In accordance with an embodiment,the television playout system 118 may be configured to store and deliverplayout of the linear video feed with broadcast chain elements, forexample, such as graphics, closed captions, Nielson markers, formatdefinition data, vertical interval time codes (VITC), and the like.

The trigger inserter 120 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that handles insertionof SCTE 104/35, a plurality of cues or triggers in the linear videofeed. In this regard, the trigger inserter 120 may be configured toinsert the plurality of cues or triggers as per SCTE-104-based digitalad-marker or society of motion picture and television engineers (SMPTE)2010 standards in coordination with the automation system 116. Variousexamples of such plurality of cues or triggers may be splice points,such as program start, program end, content placement opportunitystart/end, commercial break start, commercial break end, promotionalcontent start, promotional content end, advertisement start/end, and thelike.

The broadcasting apparatus 122 may be a device which broadcasts anelectromagnetic signal corresponding to one or more television channelsto the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n. The broadcastingapparatus 122 may be analog or digital. In an example, the broadcastingapparatus 122 transmits channels that are unencrypted and thereforefree-to-air or free-to-view. In another example, the broadcastingapparatus 122 transmits channels with encryption (pay television), andthus requiring a subscription by the plurality of consumer devices 108a, . . . , 108 n via the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n.In such a case, the encryption may be based on conditional access (CA)or digital rights management (DRM) technology, known in the art. Thebroadcasting apparatus 122 may act as a source device or a source ofreceipt of the broadcast feed of one or more channels for the pluralityof MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

Each of the plurality of live content distribution devices 124 a, . . ., 124 n in the corresponding MVPD system of the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code to dynamicallygenerate VOD content assets. Consequently, the plurality of live contentdistribution devices 124 a, . . . , 124 n may be referred to as a livecatcher as it allows capture (a recording) of a live video feed (abroadcast feed received from the broadcasting apparatus 122 of thebroadcast provider system 102), which is used to create VOD contentassets at the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

The receiver 126 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfacesthat may be configured to execute code that receives the live video feedfrom the broadcast provider system 102, via the network 132 (such as asatellite communication network 132 a as shown in FIG. 1B), encryptedbased on the CA and/or DRM technology.

The segmentation system 128 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code to determine aplurality of segments (or chunks) in the received live video feed basedon the received plurality of triggers and metadata. The segmentationsystem 128 may be further configured to store the plurality of segments(or chunks) at a storage space provided in the corresponding livecontent distribution device.

The packager 130 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfacesthat may be configured to execute code to determine a package thatincludes content and associated metadata. The content may correspond toone or more of the plurality of segments transcoded to different typesof streams for different types of devices, such as a TV or a mobiledevice, and marked with Nielson markers. Based on such a package, acorresponding live content distribution device may dynamically generateone or more VOD content assets for playout to one or more serverscommunicatively coupled with the corresponding MVPD system. The packager130 may be directly or indirectly coupled to a local storage (notshown).

The packager 130 may be configured to publish the one or more VODcontent assets in real-time or near real-time. The packager 130 may beoperable to create “C3” content assets and clips that may be madeavailable before content roles out of the MVPD system 104 a. Thepackager 130 may also be configured to provide near-real timeredundancy. The resulting converted output, i.e. one or more VOD contentassets, that is generated by the packager 130 may be communicated to thelegacy VOD server which may be communicatively coupled with theplurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n. The packager 130 mayalso support a robust interface (e.g. ADI) that defines the on-demandduration of the individual segments as well as encryption requirementsand a service type to link for ad insertion.

The network 132 may be any kind of network, or a combination of variousnetworks, and it is shown illustrating the communication that may occurbetween the broadcast provider system 102, the plurality of publisheddata sources 106 a, . . . , 106 n, the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a,. . . , 104 n, the plurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n,and the plurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a, . . . ,110 n. For example, the network 132 may comprise one or more of a cabletelevision network, the Internet, a satellite communication network 132a, a CDN network 132 b, a wide area network (WAN), a medium area network(MAN), and a local area network (LAN).

In operation, the live content distribution device 124 a provided in theMVPD system 104 a may be configured to receive a live video feed, aplurality of triggers, and metadata from a broadcast source, such as thebroadcasting apparatus 122 of the broadcast provider system 102, over acommunication network, such as the network 132. The receiver 126 in thelive content distribution devices 124 a may receive the live video feedfrom the broadcast provider system 102, via the network 132. Similarly,the plurality of live content distribution devices 124 a, . . . , 124 nin the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n may be configuredto receive the live video feed and the plurality of triggers as SCTE-35message from the broadcast provider system 102, over the network 132.For brevity, the functionality of only one live content distributiondevice, such as the live content distribution device 124 a is explainedhereinafter. Notwithstanding, the functionality of the remaining ones ofthe plurality of live content distribution devices 124 b, . . . , 124 nis similar to the functionality of the live content distribution devices124 a, without any deviation from the scope of the disclosure.

In accordance with an embodiment, a transcoder associated with thereceiver 126 may transcode the format of the received live video feedinto another format compatible with the MVPD system 104 a. The receiver126 may communicate such live video stream to the segmentation system128. The segmentation system 128 may determine a plurality of segments(or chunks) in the received live video feed based on the receivedplurality of triggers and metadata. The segmentation system 128 may befurther configured to store the plurality of segments (or chunks) at astorage space provided in the live content distribution device 124 a. Inaccordance with various embodiments, the plurality of segments and theassociated metadata may be stored in the storage space in accordancewith various versions, such as “C3”, “C7”, or “Cx”, as specified in theplayout schedule.

In accordance with an embodiment, one or more of the plurality ofsegments may be directly provided from the storage space to one or moreactive video servers. The one or more active video servers may playoutthe received content to one or more of the plurality of consumer devices108 a, . . . , 108 n. In accordance with another embodiment, theplurality of segments may be further transcoded into another format, forexample, MPEG2 TS, and after applying Nielsen markers, the resultingtransport stream may be provided to the packager 130. The packager 130may generate an ADI package that includes content and associatedmetadata. The content may correspond to one or more of the plurality ofsegments transcoded to MPEG2 TS and marked with Nielson markers. Themetadata may be standardized by various known standards, such asCableLabs®. Based on such an ADI package, the live content distributiondevice 124 a may dynamically generate one or more VOD content assets forplayout to one or more servers, i.e. one or more legacy VOD servers,communicatively coupled with the corresponding MVPD system 104 a. Theone or more legacy VOD servers may further playout the received contentto one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108n. An example of the generation of the one or more VOD content assets isshown and described, in FIGS. 1C, 1D, 2, and 3.

In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the disclosure, the trafficand scheduler system 112 may be configured to define a playout scheduleof a channel. The playout schedule of a channel defines media contentthat should be scheduled, the ordering of the media content duringplayout, and when to deliver content. The content that is delivered mayinclude both the programming content, such as TV programs, and thenon-programming content, such as advertisements or promotional media. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the playout schedule may be a text fileor an XML file, that comprise a reference mapping of different mediacontent items. The playout schedule may correspond to the linear videofeed of the channel to be broadcasted to the plurality of MVPD systems104 a, . . . , 104 n. The automation system 116 may receive the playoutschedule of the channel from the traffic and scheduler system 112 andfurther query the content storage 140 to provide required programmingdata and the plurality of advertisements and/or a promotional mediabased on the playout schedule. The automation system 116 may provide theprogramming data and the plurality of advertisements and/or apromotional content that are included in the linear video feed to thetelevision playout system 118 to prepare a playout of a channel (such asa television channel). The television playout system 118 may adjust aplurality of spots in the linear video feed of the channel to maintainthe playout schedule. Further, the television playout system 118 maydeliver a playout of the linear video feed to broadcast chain elements,such as graphics, closed captions, Nielson markers, format definitiondata, vertical interval time codes (VITC) and the like.

The trigger inserter 120 may further insert the plurality of SCTE 104cues or triggers in the linear video feed. Thereafter, such linear videofeed with inserted plurality of triggers may be encoded by varyingbitrates and the SCTE-104-based digital content-marker is converted toSCTE-35-based digital content-marker. In accordance with an embodiment,the encoded linear video feed may be multiplexed with SCTE-224 messagefrom LMDB 114 and broadcasted (or stored), via the network 132, such asthe satellite communication network 132 a, to the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n for subsequent playout. In such a case, theSCTE-224 message may be embedded in the encoded video feed by a dataembedding system (shown in FIG. 1B) during the multiplexing. Inaccordance with another embodiment, the metadata may be communicatedout-of-band separate from the linear video feed and the plurality oftriggers and communicated, via the network 132, such as CDN network 132b (shown in FIG. 1B) to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104n. In such a case, the LMDB 114 separately communicates SCTE-224(originally DVS1179) message as out-of-band metadata to the plurality ofMVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n via the CDN network 132 b.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the traffic andscheduler system 112 may be configured to receive a specific playoutschedule, which corresponds to the linear video feed of the channelbroadcasted to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, froma specific source device, such as D4 schedule source. In such a case,the broadcast provider system 102 may generate the new channelcomprising one or more VOD content assets, based on the one or morescheduling rules of the specific playout schedule, to be transmitted tothe plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n at the time specifiedin the received specific playout schedule. For example, the new channel,such as “D4 Channel” may be generated for day “4” of the broadcastedlinear video feed of the channel in accordance when the version of thepreviously delivered VOD content assets is “C3.”

The specific playout schedule may include one or more scheduling rulesthat correspond to the linear video feed of a channel broadcasted to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n. A first scheduling rulemay correspond to sanitization of the received linear video feed of thechannel by removal of a lower third graphical content overlay from thelinear video feed for the generation of the new channel. A secondscheduling rule may correspond to insertion of a discontinuity betweenprogram segments to allow DAI within the program segments of the linearvideo feed for the new channel. In an example, the discontinuity may bea gap between a TV program and various interstitial content items, suchas advertisements. In another example, the discontinuity may be afade-to-black change or insertion of one or more frames of anintermediate brightness level. In yet another example, the discontinuitymay be a transition between standard dynamic range (SDR)-HLG or HLG-PQor HLG- to Prime, and so on.

A third scheduling rule may correspond to insertion of a unique sourceidentifier/time in content in the linear video feed for the new channel.A fourth scheduling rule may correspond to insertion of new promotionalcontent items, specific to the broadcast provider system 102 of thelinear video feed, along with VOD content assets for the new channel.The specific playout schedule may further include a time at which thenew channel may be generated and broadcasted to the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

The traffic and scheduler system 112 may be further configured toreceive cleared and/or modified advertisement orders, queue them, anddetermine placements of a plurality of advertisements in the linearvideo feed. The traffic and scheduler system 112 may transmit theplayout schedule of the channel to the automation system 116. Theautomation system 116 may further query the content storage to providerequired the programming data and the plurality of advertisements and/orpromotional content based on the specific playout schedule.

The automation system 116, in conjunction with one or more components,may sanitize the received linear video feed of the channel by removal ofa lower third graphical content overlay from the linear video feed forthe generation of the new channel. Further, the automation system 116,in conjunction with one or more components, may insert a discontinuitybetween program segments to allow DAI within the program segments of thelinear video feed for the new channel. Further, the automation system116, in conjunction with one or more components, may insert a uniquesource identifier/time in content in the linear video feed for the newchannel. Further, the automation system 116, in conjunction with one ormore components, may insert new promotional content items, specific tothe broadcast provider system 102 of the linear video feed, along withVOD content assets for the new channel.

The television playout system 118 may playout the generated new channel.The trigger inserter 120 may insert the plurality of SCTE 104 cues ortriggers in the linear video feed of the new channel received from thetelevision playout system 118. Thereafter, the new channel may beencoded by varying bitrates and convert the SCTE-104-based digitalcommercial-marker to SCTE-35-based digital commercial-marker. Theencoded new channel may be multiplexed with SCTE-224 message from LMDB114 and communicated (or stored), via the network 132 (such as thesatellite communication network 132 a as shown in FIG. 1B), to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n for subsequent playout.In accordance with another embodiment, the metadata, as SCTE-224message, may be communicated out-of-band separately from the new channeland the plurality of triggers. In accordance with another embodiment,the encoded new channel that includes the plurality of triggers may becommunicated (or stored), via the network 132 (such as the satellitecommunication network 132 a as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C), to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n for subsequent playout.In such a case, the LMDB 114 separately communicates SCTE-224 message asout-of-band metadata to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104n via another example of the network 132 (such as CDN network 132 b ofFIG. 1B).

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary broadcastprovider system for broadcasting encoded video feed of a channel to aplurality of MVPDs and generating a new channel comprising one or moreVOD content assets, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. The block diagram further illustrates the exemplarybroadcast provider system for generating a new channel comprising one ormore VOD content assets, in accordance with another exemplary embodimentof the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1B, there are shown the traffic andscheduler system 112, the LMDB 114, the automation system 116, thetelevision playout system 118, the trigger inserter 120, and thebroadcasting apparatus 122, as described in FIG. 1A. The traffic andscheduler system 112 may be shown to be an integrated system thatincludes a traffic system 112 a and a scheduler 112 b. There are furthershown a source device 133, one or more encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 ncommunicatively coupled with the trigger inserter 120 and a multiplexer(MUX) 136 in the broadcast provider system 102. The MUX 136 is furthercommunicatively coupled with the broadcasting apparatus 122 and a dataembedding system 138. There is further shown a content storage 140communicatively coupled to the automation system 116 and the televisionplayout system 118. There is also shown a playout schedule 142, aspecific playout schedule 144, a plurality of advertisements and/orpromotional content 146, a linear video feed 148, a linear video feedwith triggers 150, an encoded linear video feed with triggers 152,metadata 154, a multiplexed live video feed 156, and a new channel 158.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the television playout system 118and the trigger inserter 120, may be integrated to form an integratedsystem. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the automation system 116may be integrated with the television playout system 118, the triggerinserter 120, the one or more encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n, the MUX136, and the data embedding system 138, to form an integrated system. Insome embodiments of the disclosure, the television playout system 118,the automation system 116, the trigger inserter 120, the one or moreencoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n, the MUX 136, and the data embeddingsystem 138, may be located separately, as shown. The functions and/oroperations performed by the broadcast provider system 102, and itsvarious components, are further described, in FIGS. 1B, 2A, 3A, and 4.Other separation and/or combination of the various entities of theexemplary broadcast provider system 102 illustrated in FIG. 1B may bedone without departing from the spirit and scope of the variousembodiments of the disclosure.

The traffic system 112 a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that receives linearvideo feed 148 (also referred to as a network television live feed) fromthe source device 133. The received linear video feed 148 may correspondto a channel, such as CNN channel, that is to be broadcasted to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n, via the network 132. Inaccordance with an exemplary expect of the disclosure, the trafficsystem 112 a may receive a specific playout schedule, such as a D4schedule for a D4 channel, from a source device, such as the sourcedevice 133. The specific playout schedule is represented as the specificplayout schedule 144 in FIG. 1B.

The scheduler 112 b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that handles aprogramming schedule of a channel. The programming schedule of a channeldefines what media content should be scheduled, the ordering of themedia content during playout, and when to deliver content. The contentthat is delivered may include both the programming content, such as TVprograms, and the non-programming content, such as advertisements orpromotional media. In accordance with an embodiment, the programmingschedule may be a text file or an XML file, which comprises a referencemapping of different media content items that need to be stitched by astitcher (not shown). The scheduler 112 b may modify existingprogramming schedule to generate a new programming schedule, where thegeneration of the new programming schedule may enable creation of newchannels.

The one or more encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute codethat may be configured to receive the linear video feed with triggers150 (as SCTE-104-inserted message) from the trigger inserter 120. Theone or more encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n may encode the SCTE-104message and convert the SCTE-104 message to SCTE-35 message. The one ormore encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n may encode the linear video feed withtriggers 150 by varying bitrates. An example of such one or moreencoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n may be Mezzanine encoder, known in theart.

The MUX 136 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces thatmay be configured to execute code that may receive the encoded linearvideo feed with triggers 152 (as SCTE-35-based message) and multiplexwith live metadata 154 related to the encoded linear video feed withtriggers 152, which is received from the LMDB 114, in conjunction withthe data embedding system 138. Thus, the MUX 136 may facilitate thebroadcasting of the metadata 154 (as SCTE-224 message) along with theencoded linear video feed with triggers 152 (as SCTE-35 message) in oneor more configurations. In accordance with a first configuration, themetadata 154 is broadcasted in-band with the encoded linear video feedwith triggers 150, via the satellite communication network 132 a. Inaccordance with a second configuration, the metadata 154 is broadcastedout-of-band separate from the encoded linear video feed with triggers150, via the CDN network 132 b.

The data embedding system 138 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and interfaces that may be configured to execute code that may receivethe live metadata 154 from the LMDB 114 and transmit it to the MUX 136where the live metadata 154 is multiplexed with the encoded linear videofeed with triggers 152. Accordingly, the live metadata 154 isbroadcasted in-band with the encoded linear video feed with triggers152.

The content storage 140 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that may receiverequests from the automation system 116 for required additional contentin accordance with the playout schedule 142. Further, the contentstorage 140 may provide such additional content to the televisionplayout system 118 also in real-time.

The playout schedule 142 may correspond to a schedule pertaining to aplayout of the programming data and the plurality of advertisementsand/or promotional content 146. The playout schedule 142 may also bereferred to as a programming schedule. The playout schedule 142 mayinclude an ordering of the programming data and the plurality ofadvertisements and/or promotional content 146. During the playout, theprogramming data and the plurality of advertisements and/or promotionalcontent 146 are played out in the corresponding order as specified inthe playout schedule 142. The scheduler 112 b may be configured togenerate the playout schedule 142. In accordance with an embodiment, theplayout schedule 142 may include information, such as after a seriesepisode airs live, if a viewer watches the same set of commercials in anepisode within 3 days, the network provider, gets Nielsen “C3” credit.

The specific playout schedule 144 may be received from a specific sourcedevice 133, such as “D4 schedule source,” based on which the new channel158 may be generated. The specific playout schedule 144 may include oneor more scheduling rules that correspond to the linear video feed 148 ofa channel broadcasted to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . ,104 n. A first exemplary scheduling rule may correspond to sanitizationof the received linear video feed 148 of the channel by removal of alower third graphical content overlay from the linear video feed 148 forthe generation of the new channel 158. A second exemplary schedulingrule may correspond to insertion of a discontinuity between programsegments to allow dynamic advertisement insertion (DAI) within theprogram segments of the linear video feed 148 for the new channel 158. Athird exemplary scheduling rule may correspond to insertion of a uniquesource identifier/time in content in the linear video feed 148 for thenew channel 158. A fourth exemplary scheduling rule may correspond toinsertion of new promotional content items, specific to the broadcastprovider system 102 of the linear video feed 148, along with VOD contentassets for the new channel 158. The specific playout schedule 144 mayfurther include a time at which the new channel 158 may be generated andbroadcasted to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

The programming data and the plurality of advertisements and/orpromotional content 146 may correspond to the content received form theplurality of advertiser order generation systems 110 a, . . . , 110 nbased on which the playout schedule 142 is dynamically updated by thescheduler 112 b. The programming data may include a plurality of programsegments of main program content, such as TV shows, TV programs, Livecontent, and/or VOD content, separated by one or more commercial breaks.The plurality of advertisements and/or promotional content 146 maycorrespond to media items that are to be inserted at the plurality ofspots or inventory buckets related to the one or more commercial breaksin the linear video feed 148.

The linear video feed 148 may correspond to a linear stream ofmultimedia frames of programming data provided by a content source. Thelinear video feed 148 may correspond to an uncompressed SDI video andmay be embedded with the ancillary data, such as the close caption data,format definition data, VITC, and/or the like in the broadcast chainduring playout by the television playout system 118.

The linear video feed with triggers 150 may correspond to theuncompressed SDI video that is inserted with the plurality of triggersby the trigger inserter 120 and may correspond to SCTE-104-insertedmessage. The SCTE-104-based digital ad-marker may be inserted in the SDIvideo as vertical ancillary (VANC) data. The SCTE-104 is in 10-bithexadecimal format so as to match data words in the uncompressed SDIvideo.

The encoded linear video feed with triggers 152 may correspond to theuncompressed SDI video that is inserted with the plurality of triggersand may correspond to SCTE-104 message. SCTE-104-based digital ad-markermay be inserted in the SDI video as vertical ancillary (VANC) data. TheSCTE-104 is in 10-bit hexadecimal format so as to match data words inthe uncompressed SDI video corresponding to the linear video feed 148.

The metadata 154 may correspond to information related to theprogramming data stored in the LMDB 114. The metadata 154 may be basedon first and second information received by the LMDB 114 from thetraffic and scheduler system 112 and the automation system 116,respectively. The first information received from the traffic andscheduler system 112 may be associated with the playout schedule 142 orthe specific playout schedule 144. The second information received fromthe automation system 116 may be associated with an updated playoutschedule or an updated specific playout schedule. In accordance with anembodiment, the metadata 154 may be distributed by the LMDB 114 to theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n or external affiliatesfor individual networks via SCTE-224 message separately through separateCDN network 132 b. In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata 154may be distributed by the LMDB 114 to the plurality of MVPD systems 104a, . . . , 104 n or external affiliates as in-band data in themultiplexed live video feed 156, via the satellite communication network132 a. In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata 154 may bedistributed by the LMDB 114 to the plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . .. , 104 n or external affiliates as out-of-band data separate from themultiplexed live video feed 156, via the CDN network 132 b. Examples ofthe metadata 154 may include item identifiers in the linear video feed148, titles, file formats, encryption information, timing informationassociated with one or more commercial breaks, a playout schedule toplay the one or more advertisements and/or promotional content 146within programming data of the linear video feed 148, and signalingcontent of the linear video feed 148.

The multiplexed live video feed 156 may correspond to the encoded linearvideo feed with triggers 152 (SCTE 104 message) received from the one ormore encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 n multiplexed with the metadata 154received from the data embedding system 138. In accordance with anembodiment, the broadcasting apparatus 122 transmits channelscorresponding to the multiplexed live video feed 156 as unencrypted andare therefore free-to-air or free-to-view. In accordance with anotherembodiment, the broadcasting apparatus 122 transmits channels withencryption (pay television), and thus requiring a subscription by theplurality of consumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n via the plurality ofMVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n. In such a case, the encryption may bebased on CA or DRM technology, known in the art.

In accordance with an embodiment, the new channel 158, such as a D4channel, may be generated by the broadcast provider system 102 based onthe one or more scheduling rules of the specific playout schedule 144(i.e. D4 schedule). The new channel 158 thus generated may include oneor more VOD content assets that may be transmitted to the plurality ofMVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n via a different communication mediumof the network at the time specified in the specific playout schedule144. In accordance with an embodiment, based on the “C3” content, anintegrated system comprising the television playout system 118, thetrigger inserter 120, and the one or more encoders 134 a, . . . , 134 nin the broadcast provider system 102 may be configured to generate thenew channel 158, “D4 channel,” which may be broadcasted on day “4” ofthe originally aired live video feed, i.e. the multiplexed live videofeed 156.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary MVPD system fordynamically generating one or more VOD content assets for playout, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 1C, there is shown an MVPD system 104 a of the plurality of MVPDsystems 104 a, . . . , 104 n for brevity. Notwithstanding, it may beunderstood that the functionality of the remaining MVPD systems of theplurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n is similar to thefunctionality of the MVPD system 104 a (described in FIG. 1A), withoutany deviation from the scope of the disclosure. There are shown a livecontent distribution device 124 a in the MVPD system 104 a. The livecontent distribution device 124 a may be provided in an MVPD headend ofthe MVPD system 104 a associated with an affiliate. There is furthershown the receiver 126, the segmentation system 128, and the packager130. There is further shown a controller 160, a network DVR (nDVR)storage 162, one or more transcoders, such as a transcoder 164 b, and amarking system 166 in the live content distribution device 124 a. Thereis further shown two servers, an active video server 168 and a legacyVOD server 170 communicatively coupled to the live content distributiondevice 124 a. The active video server 168 and the legacy VOD server 170may be further communicatively coupled to the plurality of consumerdevices 108 a, . . . , 108 n (FIG. 1A). There is further shown themultiplexed live video feed 156 received from the broadcast providersystem 102. A live video feed 172, a plurality of segments 174 a, . . ., 174 n, and one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n, arealso shown.

The controller 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be operable to execute code that may be configuredto receive the SCTE-224-based message from the LMDB 114, via the CDNnetwork 132 b, to control the segmentation system 128. The controller160 may be configured to control the segmentation system 128 for thegeneration of the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n based onthe metadata 154 and the plurality of triggers in the receivedmultiplexed live video feed 156. In accordance with an embodiment, thecontroller 160 may not be required when the receiver 126 receives theSCTE-224 message corresponding to the metadata 154, in-band with theSCTE-35-based message in the multiplexed live video feed 156.

The nDVR storage 162 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be operable to execute code that may be configuredto capture, for example, raw MPEG-2 TS of the plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n and associated metadata 154. The MPEG-2 TS may compriseadaptive transport stream (ATS) metadata comprising encoding boundarypoints (EBP) and may act as a source for both live and on demandpackaging. In an exemplary embodiment, the nDVR storage 162 may beconfigured to store approximately 75 hours of content. However, thecapacity of the nDVR storage 162 may be increased based on enhancedhardware memory storage devices utilized to realize the nDVR storage162, without deviation from the scope of the disclosure.

The nDVR storage 162 may store the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . ,174 n generated from the live video feed 172 by the segmentation system128. The nDVR storage 162 may be further configured to store themetadata 154, associated with the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . ,174 n, received through the controller 160. In accordance with anembodiment, the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n and theassociated metadata 154 may be stored in the nDVR storage 162 inaccordance with various versions, such as “C3”, “C7”, or “Cx”. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the stored plurality of segments 174 a, .. . , 174 n may be directly retrieved from the nDVR storage 162 by theactive video server 168 for playout. In accordance with an embodiment,the stored plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be retrievedfrom the nDVR storage 162 by the one or more transcoders 164 a and 164 band the marking system 166 for the packager 130 that generates the oneor more VOD assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n for the legacy VOD server 170.

The one or more transcoders, such as the transcoders 164 a and 164 b, inthe live content distribution device 124 a may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code todecode a video feed from one format to an uncompressed format, and thenre-encoding the uncompressed video feed to the desired digital format.In an example, a transcoder, such as the transcoder 164 a, of the one ormore transcoders may be communicatively coupled with the receiver 126.In another example, a transcoder, such as the transcoder 164 b, of theone or more transcoders may be communicatively coupled with the markingsystem 166.

The marking system 166 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be operable to execute code that may be configuredto introduce watermarks in the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174n received from the transcoder 164 b. In accordance with an embodiment,the marking system 166 may introduce the watermarks, such as Nielsensource identifier (SID)/time in content (TIC), in the plurality ofsegments 174 a, . . . , 174 n based on Nielsen VOD content encodingapplication, known in the art. The marking system 166 may furthercommunicate the watermarked plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n(as watermarked MPEG-2 TS segments) to the packager 130.

The active video server 168 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be operable to execute code that may be configuredto receive live video origin content that may be output from the nDVRstorage 162. In this regard, the live video origin content maycorrespond to various exemplary hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)formats, such as HLS, protected HLS, Smooth Streaming, and dynamicadaptive streaming over HTTP (Dash).

The legacy VOD server 170 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be operable to execute code that may be configuredto receive one or more VOD content assets from the packager 130.Although already encoded content may be extracted from the legacy VODserver 170, there may be use cases and examples where rules for one ormore advertisements and/promotional content change between live and the“C3” window, DRM license rights change from 24 hours to 75 hours,Nielsen ID3 tags change from the live tags to VOD tags, and encryptionrules may change in order to extract clips or segments to share that donot require any encryption or DRM protection. Leveraging access to theincoming MPEG-2 TS via the packager 130 enables the creation of suchkinds of on-demand content. The packager 130 may enable the creation ofmultiple VOD content assets with different properties—DRM enabledversion of content, no DRM enabled version of content, encrypted versionof content, non-encrypted (clear) version of content.

The live video feed 172 may be received from the receiver 126communicatively coupled with the transcoder 164 a. The live video feed172 may correspond to a demultiplexed stream, from which the CA or DRMencryption is removed by the receiver 126. The format of the live videofeed 172 may be, for example, MPEG-2 TS (MPTS), compatible with the MVPDsystem 104 a, which may be converted by the transcoder 164 a from theformat of the multiplexed live video feed 156, which may be the MPTS.The transcoded live video feed 172 may be provided to the segmentationsystem 128.

Each of the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may correspond toa chunk of the transcoded live video feed 172 which is generated basedon the plurality of triggers in the SCTE-35 message and metadata in theSCTE-224-based message in the live video feed 172. The format of each ofthe plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may correspond to anMPEG-2 TS that may comprise ATS metadata comprising EBP and may act as asource for both live and on demand packaging.

Each of the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n maycorrespond to a unit of media content that includes media content (audioand video content). Examples of the one or more VOD content assets 176a, . . . , 176 n may include, but are not limited to, movies, televisionprograms, news programs, advertisements, video clips, audio (e.g.,radio) programs, audio clips, and trick files. The one or more VODcontent assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n may include recorded live content(e.g., a live sports game) and/or pre-recorded content, or pre-scheduledbroadcast content. The one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176n may also include metadata that is descriptive of the VOD content assetand/or the content therein. Examples of such metadata may include orotherwise indicate description of content, date or date range, timelength of the content, data size of the content, format of the content,bit rate of the content, and the like of each of the one or more VODcontent assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n.

FIG. 1D is a circuit diagram illustrating an integrated system, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Theintegrated system may include various components associated with thesegmentation system 128, the controller 160, and the packager 130 in anexemplary live content distribution device, such as the live contentdistribution device 124 a, as described in FIG. 1C. Notwithstanding, itmay be understood that the circuit diagram and the functionality of theintegrated system (that includes segmentation system, controller, andpackager) in each of the remaining live content distribution devices 124b, . . . , 124 n of the remaining plurality of MVPD systems 104 b, . . ., 104 n is similar to the circuit diagram and the functionality of theintegration system (that includes the segmentation system 128, thecontroller 160, and the packager 130) in the live content distributiondevice 124 a of the MVPD system 104 a, without any deviation from thescope of the disclosure. The segmentation system 128 may include ademultiplexer (DEMUX) 180, an SCTE-35 decoder 182, an XML interpreter184, a logic block 186, a director block 188, the transcoder 164 b, themarking system 166, and a write block 192.

The DEMUX 180 receives the multiplexed live video feed 156 broadcastedby the broadcast provider system 102 through the network 132. Themultiplexed live video feed 156 may correspond to an MPTS and compriseSCTE-35 and SCTE-224 message. The DEMUX 180 demultiplexes the SCTE-35message in the received multiplexed live video feed 156 into a pluralityof programs (or packets) and generates the live video feed 172 (as shownin FIG. 1C). Each packet in the live video feed 172 may include a packetidentifier (PID). One or more of the plurality of programs (or packets)may include information about the other packets. The DEMUX 180 furtherdetermines program-specific information (PSI) data which is metadataabout the plurality of packets and a part of an MPEG TS of the livevideo feed 172. The PSI data, as defined by ISO/IEC 13818-1, may includevarious tables, such as program association table, conditional accesstable, program map table, and network information table, required by thelogic block 186.

Accordingly, the DEMUX 180 transmits the plurality of packets to theSCTE-35 decoder 182 and the director block 188. The SCTE-35 decoder 182decodes the packets and identifies the plurality of triggers, such asprogram start, and transmits to the logic block 186. The XML interpreter184 in the controller 160 receives the SCTE-224 message in the receivedlive video feed 172. The XML interpreter 184 parses the SCTE-224 messageand provides parameters, such as airing identifier (i.e. airing ID) tothe logic block 186. The airing ID links the file in the SCTE-224 to thecorresponding file in the queue of SCTE-35 message. The logic block 186correlates the outputs of the SCTE-35 decoder 182 and XML interpreter184, and determines what is to be recorded, requirement of thetranscoding, Nielsen watermarks, and the like, associated with one ormore presentation timestamps (PTS) of the packets. For example, theSCTE-35 message may indicate that the program start at timestamp is50,000, the director block 188, based on the PSI information mayindicate that the audio of the audio-visual program is in a specificlanguage, such as English or Spanish. The director block 188 may receiveinput from the logic block 186 regarding data associated with theSCTE-35 and SCTE-224 message, and determine that the recording time is50,000. The director block 188 transmits the SCTE-35 and further SCTE-36and SCTE-39 message to the transcoder 164 b. The director block 188further trashes other packets which are not suitable to be transmittedto the transcoder 164 b.

The transcoder 164 b may utilize the CableLabs® encoding profiles totranscode the input to an MPEG-2 TS and transmit the stream to themarking system 166. The marking system 166 may include specificwatermarks, such as Nielson SID/TIC, and forward the watermarked streamto the write block 192. The Nielson SID/TIC may indicate that the streamcorresponds to a VOD asset comprising attributes like fast forward, anddisable. The write block 192 may write or store the watermarked streamto the nDVR storage 162 with corresponding metadata. The watermarkedstream may be utilized by the packager 130 thereafter to generate ADIpackage based on which the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . ,176 n are dynamically generated. Similar steps, as stated above, may beperformed by the integrated system to write other watermarked streamscorresponding to other SCTE-35 message.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart illustrating high-level operation of anexemplary an exemplary live content distribution device of FIG. 1C, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 2, there is shown a flow chart 200B comprising exemplary operations214 through 226. The exemplary operations may start at 214 and proceedto 216.

At 216, receive a live video feed, a plurality of triggers, and metadatafrom the broadcast provider system 102 over the communication network(such as the satellite communication network 132 a). The receiver 126 inthe live content distribution device 124 a may be configured to receivethe live video feed (such as the multiplexed live video feed 156), theplurality of triggers, and the metadata (such as the metadata 154) fromthe broadcast provider system 102 over the communication network (suchas the satellite communication network 132 a). In a scenario, thereceived live video feed (such as the multiplexed live video feed 156)may not be embedded with the metadata 154. In such a case, the livecontent distribution device 124 a may receive the metadata 154separately from the LMDB 114, via the CDN network 132 b. The receiver126 may be further configured to demultiplex the received multiplexedlive video feed 156 and may further remove the CA or DRM encryption fromthe demultiplexed live video feed to generate the live video feed 172.The transcoder 164 a may further convert the format of the live videofeed 172 into another format compatible with the MVPD system 104 a.

At 218, a plurality of segments (such as the plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n) may be determined in the received live video feed 172based on the received plurality of triggers and the metadata 154. Thesegmentation system 128 may be configured to determine the plurality ofsegments 174 a, . . . , 174 n in the received live video feed 172 basedon the received plurality of triggers and the metadata 154. For example,each of the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be generatedbased on the plurality of triggers in the SCTE-35 message and metadatain the SCTE-224 message of the live video feed 172. The format of eachof the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may correspond to anMPEG-2 TS that may comprise ATS metadata comprising EBP and may act as asource for both live and on demand packaging. The segmentation system128 may be controlled by the controller 160 for the generation of theplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n, in an event the metadata 154is not received in the received multiplexed live video feed 156. Theplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n along with the plurality oftriggers and the metadata 154 may be stored in the nDVR storage 162 in avideo stream format. In accordance with an embodiment, the storedplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be communicated to theactive video server 168. In accordance with another embodiment, thestored plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be communicated tothe transcoder 164 b.

At 220, the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be transcodedand one or more audio markers may be embedded in the encoded pluralityof segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n. The transcoder 164 b may be configuredto transcode plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n. Fortranscoding, the transcoder 164 b may decode each of the plurality ofsegments 174 a, . . . , 174 n from the corresponding format to anuncompressed format, and may further re-encode each of the plurality ofsegments 174 a, . . . , 174 n to a desired digital format, such as theMPEG-2 TS format. The re-encoded plurality of segments 174 a, . . . ,174 n is further communicated to the marking system 166. The markingsystem 166 may be configured to embed one or more audio markers, such asthe Nielson TIC watermarks, in the encoded plurality of segments 174 a,. . . , 174 n based on based on Nielsen VOD content encodingapplication. The Nielson TIC may indicate that the stream corresponds toa VOD asset comprising attributes like fast forward, and disable. Thewatermarked stream of the encoded plurality of segments 174 a, . . . ,174 n may be further stored in the nDVR storage 162 with correspondingmetadata 154.

At 222, ADI package may be generated based on the content and themetadata 154. The packager 130 may be configured to generate the ADIpackage based on the content and the metadata 154. The content may referto the stream of the encoded plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 ntranscoded to MPEG2 TS and marked with Nielson markers. The packager 130may retrieve the stored stream of the encoded plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n with corresponding metadata 154 from the nDVR storage162 for generating the ADI package.

At 224, one or more VOD content assets may be dynamically generatedbased on the package (such as the ADI package). The packager 130 may befurther configured to dynamically generate (and/or stitch) the one ormore VOD content assets (such as the one or more VOD content assets 176a, . . . , 176 n) based on the generated ADI package. The one or moreVOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n may correspond to a unit ofmedia content that includes audio and/or video content. The one or moreVOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n may be generated with differentproperties, such as DRM enabled version of the content, no DRM enabledversion of the content, encrypted version of the content, non-encrypted(clear) version of the content. The one or more VOD content assets 176a, . . . , 176 n may be further communicated to the legacy VOD server170. Control passes to end step 226.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations fordynamically generating VOD assets for MVPDs, in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, there isshown a flow chart 300B comprising exemplary operations 322 to 342. Theexemplary operations may start at 322 and proceed to 324.

At 324, the receiver 126 may be configured to receive the multiplexedlive video feed 156, the plurality of triggers, and the metadata 154from a broadcast source, such as the broadcasting apparatus 122 of thebroadcast provider system 102, over the satellite communication network132 a. In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata 154, as SCTE-224message, may be embedded in the multiplexed live video feed 156, asSCTE-35 message. In accordance with an embodiment, the metadata 154 maynot be embedded in the multiplexed live video feed 156. In such a case,the receiver 126 may receive the metadata 154 as SCTE-224 message,separately from the LMDB 114, via the CDN network 132 b. The receiver126 may demultiplex the received multiplexed live video feed 156 and mayfurther remove the CA or DRM encryption to generate the live video feed172.

At 326, the received live video feed 172 may be transcoded. Thetranscoder 164 a may be configured to transcode the live video feed 172.For transcoding the live video feed 172, the transcoder 164 a mayfurther convert the current format of the live video feed 172 intoanother format that is compatible with the MVPD system 104 a, such asMPTS format.

At 328, the segmentation system 128 may be configured to determine theplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n based on the plurality oftriggers in the SCTE-35 message and the metadata 154 in the SCTE-224message of the live video feed 172. The live video feed 172 may compriseSCTE-35 and SCTE-224 messages either separately, or multiplexed witheach other. The format of each of the plurality of segments 174 a, . . ., 174 n may correspond to an MPEG-2 TS that may comprise ATS metadatacomprising EBP and may act as a source for both live and on demandpackaging. The segmentation system 128 may be controlled by thecontroller 160 for the generation of the plurality of segments 174 a, .. . , 174 n, in an event the metadata 154 is not received in thereceived multiplexed live video feed 156. The plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n along with the plurality of triggers and the metadata154 may be stored in the nDVR storage 162 in a video stream format.

At 330, it may be determined whether the VOD assets are requested by aconsumer device, such as the consumer device 108 a in the plurality ofconsumer devices 108 a, . . . , 108 n. The control may pass to operation332, based on the determination that the consumer device has notrequested for the VOD assets. Else, the control may pass to operation334.

At 332, the stream of one or more segments may be provided to the activevideo server 168 based on the determination that the consumer device 108a has not requested for the VOD assets. The live content distributiondevice 124 a may provide the stream of one or more segments of theplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n to the active video server168. The stream of one or more segments provided to the active videoserver 168 may refer to live video origin content which may comply withvarious HTTP formats such as HLS, protected HLS, Smooth Streams, andDash. The control may then pass to end operation 342.

At 334, the transcoder 164 b may transcode the plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n and the marking system 166 may embed the one or moreaudio markers in the encoded plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n,based on the determination that the consumer device 108 a has requestedfor the VOD assets. The transcoder 164 b may decode each of theplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n from the correspondingcurrent format to an uncompressed format, and may further re-encode eachof the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n to a desired digitalformat, such as the MPEG-2 TS format. The marking system 166 may beconfigured to embed one or more audio markers, such as the NielsonSID/TIC watermarks, in the encoded plurality of segments 174 a, . . . ,174 n based on Nielsen VOD content encoding application. The NielsonSID/TIC may indicate that the stream corresponds to a VOD assetcomprising attributes like fast forward, and disable. The watermarkedstream of the encoded plurality of segments 174 a, , 174 n may befurther stored in the nDVR storage 162 with corresponding metadata 154.

At 336, the packager 130 may be configured to generate the ADI packagebased on the content and the metadata 154. The content may refer to thestream of the plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n that istranscoded to MPEG2 TS and marked with Nielson markers. The metadata maybe standardized by various known standards, such as CableLabs®. Thepackager 130 may retrieve the stored stream of the encoded plurality ofsegments 174 a, . . . , 174 n with corresponding metadata 154 from thenDVR storage 162 for generating the ADI package.

At 338, packager 130 may be configured to dynamically generate the oneor more VOD content assets (such as the one or more VOD content assets176 a, . . . , 176 n) based on the package (such as the generated ADIpackage). Each of the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176n may correspond to a unit of media content that includes audio and/orvideo content. The one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 nmay be generated with different properties, such as DRM enabled versionof the content, no DRM enabled version of the content, encrypted versionof the content, non-encrypted (clear) version of the content.

At 340, the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n may beprovided to the legacy VOD server 170. The packager 130 may beconfigured to provide the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . ,176 n to the legacy VOD server 170 for storage. In accordance with anembodiment, the packager 130 may be configured to provide the one ormore VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n in a specific stitchedordering as a program stream as per one or more defined programmingschedules or as individual VOD content assets to be re-used later on.The control may pass to end 342.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an exemplary live content distribution device in anexemplary MVPD system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, the hardware implementation shown by arepresentation 500 for an MVPD system (such as the MVPD system 104 a) inthe plurality of MVPD systems 104 a, . . . , 104 n employs a processingsystem 502 for providing video programming services to viewers, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, as describedherein. In some examples, the processing system 502 may comprise one ormore hardware processors 504, a non-transitory computer-readable medium506, a hardware live content distribution device 124 a, a hardwarereceiver 126, a hardware segmentation system 128, a hardware packager130, a hardware active video server 168, and a hardware legacy VODserver 170. The live content distribution device 124 a may furthercomprise a hardware controller 160, a hardware nDVR storage 162, ahardware marking system 166, and one or more hardware transcoders 164 a,. . . , 164 n.

In this example, the MVPD system 104 a employing the processing system502 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally bya bus 508. The bus 508 may include any number of interconnecting busesand bridges depending on the specific implementation of the MVPD system104 a and the overall design constraints. The bus 508 links togethervarious circuits including the one or more processors, representedgenerally by the processor 504, the non-transitory computer-readablemedia, represented generally by the computer-readable medium 506, thehardware live content distribution device 124 a, the hardware receiver126, the hardware segmentation system 128, the hardware packager 130,the hardware active video server 168, and the hardware legacy VOD server170, which may be configured to carry out one or more operations ormethods described herein. A bus interface 510 provides an interfacebetween the bus 508 and a transceiver 512. The transceiver 512 providesa means for communicating via the network 132 with various otherapparatus, such as the broadcast provider system 102, the plurality ofpublished data sources 106 a, . . . , 106 n, the plurality of consumerdevices 108 a, . . . , 108 n, and the plurality of advertiser ordergeneration systems 110 a, . . . , 110 n.

The processor 504 may be configured to manage the bus 508 and generalprocessing, including the execution of a set of instructions stored onthe computer-readable medium 506. The set of instructions, when executedby the processor 504, causes the MVPD system 104 a to execute thevarious functions described herein for any particular apparatus. Thecomputer-readable medium 506 may also be used for storing data that ismanipulated by the processor 504 when executing the set of instructions.The computer-readable medium 506 may also be configured to store datafor one or more of the hardware live content distribution device 124 a,the hardware receiver 126, the hardware segmentation system 128, thehardware packager 130, the hardware active video server 168, and thehardware legacy VOD server 170.

In an aspect of the disclosure, the processor 504, the computer-readablemedium 506, or a combination of both may be configured or otherwisespecially programmed to execute the operations or functionality of thehardware live content distribution device 124 a, the hardware receiver126, the hardware segmentation system 128, the hardware packager 130,the hardware active video server 168, and/or the hardware legacy VODserver 170, or various other components described herein. For example,the processor 504, the computer-readable medium 506, or a combination ofboth may be configured or otherwise specially programmed to perform theoperations and functionality of the hardware live content distributiondevice 124 a, the hardware receiver 126, the hardware segmentationsystem 128, the hardware packager 130, the hardware active video server168, and/or the hardware legacy VOD server 170 as described with respectto FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2, 3, and 4.

Various embodiments of the disclosure comprise a live contentdistribution device, such as the live content distribution device 124 a,provided in an MVPD system, such as MVPD system 104 a, which may beconfigured to dynamically generate the one or more VOD content assets,such as 176 a, . . . , 176 n, for playout. The live content distributiondevice 124 a may comprise, for example, the receiver 126, thesegmentation system 128, and the packager 130. The receiver 126 may beconfigured to receive a live video feed, such as the multiplexed livevideo feed 156, the plurality of triggers, and the metadata 154 from thebroadcast provider system 102 over the network 132. The segmentationsystem 128 may be configured to determine the plurality of segments 174a, . . . , 174 n in the live video feed 172, which corresponds to themultiplexed live video feed 156, based on the received plurality oftriggers and the metadata 154. The packager 130 may be configured todynamically generate the one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . ,176 n based on a package, which includes one or more of the determinedplurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n and the metadata 154associated with the determined plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174n, for playout to one or more servers, such as the legacy VOD server170, communicatively coupled with the MVPD system 104 a.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer implementedinstruction that when executed by a processor causes a live contentdistribution device, such as the live content distribution device 124 a,provided in an MVPD system, such as MVPD system 104 a, to dynamicallygenerate the one or more VOD content assets, such as 176 a, . . . , 176n, for playout. A live video feed, such as the multiplexed live videofeed 156, the plurality of triggers, and the metadata 154 may bereceived from the broadcast provider system 102 over the network 132.The plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n may be determined in thelive video feed 172, which corresponds to the multiplexed live videofeed 156, based on the received plurality of triggers and the metadata154. The one or more VOD content assets 176 a, . . . , 176 n may bedynamically generated based on a package, which includes one or more ofthe determined plurality of segments 174 a, . . . , 174 n and themetadata 154 associated with the determined plurality of segments 174 a,. . . , 174 n, for playout to one or more servers, such as the legacyVOD server 170, communicatively coupled with the MVPD system 104 a.

Thus, the system enables the broadcast provider system and MVPDs tooperate more efficiently and optimally providing both a cost andeconomic advantage. The system delivers VOD In-Program-Restart and Live“C3” VOD live capture for video-on-demand content to its affiliates. Thesystem also supports reception of post “C3” and other content clips overan internet connection. The system provides a unique way to allowbroadcast feed to be used to create VOD assets at MVPD systems inreal-time with no need for the broadcast provider system to re-encodethe content, send it to a third party to redistribute it as a highpriority pitch for a high cost. The system eliminates the broadcastprovider side encoding/priority pitching of programming data activitiesand associated costs. Thus, the system facilitates the MVPDs to get thelive “C3” content during the critical few hours of primetime whichresults in an increased viewership. Thus, the system allows legacy VODsystems to play “C3” content immediately after airing while reducing theprogrammers' distribution costs. The system facilitates the broadcastprovider system to pitch post “C3” content directly to the live contentdistribution system in the MVPD, thereby eliminating the need for athird party pitcher completely.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments ofthe disclosure” does not require that all embodiments of the disclosureinclude the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and/or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first one or more lines of code and maycomprise a second “circuit” when executing a second one or more lines ofcode. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items inthe list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means anyelement of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example,“x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y),(z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term“exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, orillustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example”set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, orillustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform afunction whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware andcode (if any is necessary) to perform the function, regardless ofwhether performance of the function is disabled, or not enabled, by someuser-configurable setting.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments ofthe disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that theterms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, whenused herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actionsto be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It willbe recognized that various actions described herein can be performed byspecific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits(ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or moreprocessors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence ofactions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirelywithin any non-transitory form of computer readable storage mediumhaving stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions thatupon execution would cause an associated processor to perform thefunctionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of thedisclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of whichhave been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, thecorresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as,for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.

Another embodiment of the disclosure may provide a non-transitorymachine and/or computer readable storage and/or media, having storedthereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least onecode section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causingthe machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein forthe dynamic generation of video-on-demand assets for multichannel videoprogramming distributors.

The present disclosure may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, algorithm, and/or stepsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, orcombinations thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection withthe embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in firmware,hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination thereof. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flashmemory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, aremovable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known inthe art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor suchthat the processor can read information from, and write information to,the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may beintegral to the processor.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tocertain embodiments, it will be noted understood by, for example, thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modification could be madeand equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure as defined, for example, in the appended claims.In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularsituation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure withoutdeparting from its scope. The functions, steps and/or actions of themethod claims in accordance with the embodiments of the disclosuredescribed herein need not be performed in any particular order.Furthermore, although elements of the disclosure may be described orclaimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation tothe singular is explicitly stated. Therefore, it is intended that thepresent disclosure not be limited to the particular embodimentdisclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodimentsfalling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A system, comprising: at least one processor in a live contentdistribution device, wherein the live content distribution device is ina multichannel video program distributor (MVPD) system, the at least oneprocessor configured to: receive, from a broadcast provider system overa communication network, metadata, a live video feed comprising mediaitems, and a plurality of triggers, wherein the plurality of triggersincludes splice points that determine transition points between themedia items in the live video feed, and the media items include at leastone of a program, a commercial, or a promotional content; determine aplurality of segments in the received live video feed based on thereceived plurality of triggers and the received metadata; anddynamically generate at least one video-on-demand (VOD) content assetbased on a package, which includes at least one of the plurality ofsegments and the metadata associated with the plurality of segments, forplayout to at least one server communicatively coupled with the MVPDsystem.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the live video feedis a broadcast feed received from the broadcast provider system, andwherein the live content distribution device is in an MVPD headend ofthe MVPD system.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein thereceived metadata is generated by the broadcast provider system based onfirst information associated with one of a playout schedule or aspecific playout schedule, and second information associated with one ofan updated playout schedule or an updated specific playout schedule, andwherein the first information is received from a traffic and schedulersystem, and the second information is received from an automationsystem.
 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the receivedmetadata is generated by the broadcast provider system based on thefirst information associated with the playout schedule, and the secondinformation associated with the updated playout schedule.
 5. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the metadata is received in-band with thelive video feed and the plurality of triggers.
 6. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the metadata is received out-of-band separate fromthe live video feed and the plurality of triggers.
 7. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one server communicativelycoupled with the MVPD system corresponds to at least one legacy VODserver.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the metadataincludes at least one of digital rights associated with the live videofeed, timing information associated with at least one commercial break,a program schedule to play at least one advertisement within programmingdata of the live video feed, or signaling content of the live videofeed.
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the received livevideo feed is encoded at the broadcast provider system associated with acontent provider, and wherein the received live video feed includes atleast one of graphical content, closed captions, or specifiedwatermarks.
 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcastprovider system determines and updates the metadata in real-time basedon information associated with at least one of a playout schedule ofprogramming data and advertisement and promotional content, theprogramming data and the advertisement and promotional content fetchedby an automation system from a content storage in real-time, or titlesassociated with the programming data, and wherein the broadcast providersystem is associated with a content provider.
 11. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured totranscode the plurality of segments.
 12. The system according to claim11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to embed atleast one audio marker in the transcoded plurality of segments.
 13. Amethod, comprising: in a live content distribution device that is in amultichannel video program distributor (MVPD) system: receiving, from abroadcast provider system over a communication network, metadata, a livevideo feed comprising media items, and a plurality of triggers, whereinthe plurality of triggers includes splice points that determinetransition points between the media items in the live video feed, andthe media items include at least one of a program, a commercial, or apromotional content; determining a plurality of segments in the receivedlive video feed based on the received plurality of triggers and thereceived metadata; and dynamically generating at least onevideo-on-demand (VOD) content asset based on a package, which includesat least one of the plurality of segments and the metadata associatedwith the plurality of segments, for playout to at least one servercommunicatively coupled with the MVPD system.
 14. The method accordingto claim 13, wherein the live video feed is a broadcast feed receivedfrom the broadcast provider system, and wherein the live contentdistribution device is in a MVPD headend of the MVPD system.
 15. Themethod to claim 13, wherein the received metadata is generated by thebroadcast provider system based on first information received from atraffic and scheduler system, and second information received from anautomation system.
 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein themetadata is received in-band with the live video feed and the pluralityof triggers.
 17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the metadatais received out-of-band separate from the live video feed and theplurality of triggers.
 18. The method according to claim 13, wherein theat least one server communicatively coupled with the MVPD systemcorresponds to at least one legacy VOD server.
 19. The method accordingto claim 13, wherein the metadata includes at least one of digitalrights associated with the live video feed, timing informationassociated with at least one commercial break, a program schedule forplaying at least one advertisement within at least one segment ofprogramming data of the live video feed, or signaling content of thelive video feed.
 20. The method according to claim 13, wherein thereceived live video feed is encoded at the broadcast provider systemassociated with a content provider, and wherein the received live videofeed includes at least one of graphical content, closed captions, orspecified watermarks.
 21. The method according to claim 13, wherein thebroadcast provider system determines and updates the metadata inreal-time based on information associated with at least one of a playoutschedule of programming data and advertisement and promotional content,the programming data and the advertisement and promotional contentfetched by an automation system from a content storage in real-time, ortitles associated with the programming data, and wherein the broadcastprovider system is associated with a content provider.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 13, further comprising transcoding the plurality ofsegments.
 23. The method according to claim 22, further comprisingembedding at least one audio marker in the transcoded plurality ofsegments.
 24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having storedthereon, computer-executable instructions that when executed by aprocessor in a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, theoperations comprising: in a live content distribution device that is ina multichannel video program distributor (MVPD) system: receiving, froma broadcast provider system over a communication network, metadata, alive video feed comprising media items, and a plurality of triggers,wherein the plurality of triggers includes splice points that determinetransition points between the media items in the live video feed, andthe media items include at least one of a program, a commercial, or apromotional content; determining a plurality of segments in the receivedlive video feed based on the received plurality of triggers and thereceived metadata; and dynamically generating at least onevideo-on-demand (VOD) content asset based on a package, which includesat least one of the plurality of segments and the metadata associatedwith the plurality of segments, for playout to at least one servercommunicatively coupled with the MVPD system.